Elastic-cushioned horseshoe



(No Model.) 2 sheets sheet 1. G. GREENWOOD. ELASTIC OUSHIONED HORSES HOE- No. 602,622. Patented Apr. 19,1898.

(No Model.)- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. GREENWOOD. ELASTIC OUSHIONED HORSESHOE. No. 602,622.. Patented Apr. 19,1898.

r. 7- I j #L I m J? W J NTTED STATES PATENT nron.

GEORGE GREENWOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK E. PLACE, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

ELASTIC-CUSHIONED HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,622, dated April 19, 1898.

Application filed June 4,1897. Serial No. 639,367. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE GREENWOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elastic-Cushioned Horseshoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in horseshoes, the object of which is to provide a horseshoe that is simple in construction, resilient 0r yielding to the horses tread, and is at the same time durable-a shoe that is of value especially on hard streets and roadways. 7

It is well known that a hard roadway is very injurious to a horses foot when shod with the shoes heretofore used and is more or less slippery, and theincreasing use of such roadways in cities makes it very desirable to provide the horse with a resilient shoe.

More particularly my invention relates to a horseshoe having an elastic cushion detachably secured thereto, the cushion being seated in a groove or recess formed on the under side of the shoe and extending somewhat below the metal frame, so that it will contact with the street when in use. For this purpose rubber is preferable, but leather, oakum, or other yielding substances can be used, if desired.

My invention consists, essentially, of a horseshoe provided with downwardly-proj ecting flanges on the inner and outer edges ofthe frame, extending from the toe or front to the heels, the flanges forminga curved recess or groove in which the detachable cushion is purposed to be seated. I provide a toe-clip which is secured to the toe of the cushion in any desired manner, and laterally-extending lugs on the rear ends of the cushion and near the edge of the heels, and slots or recesses provided in the flanges adapted for receiving the lugs. The cushion is held securely in place by means of a bolt passing through the toe of the shoe and cushion and held at the heel ends by clips provided by the formation of the flanges.

That my invention may be more fully understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a bottom plan View of my improved horseshoe, showing the detachable cushion secured in place. Fig. 2 is a crosssection on the line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line Y Y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a cross-section on the line Z Z of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line Z Z of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a modified cross section taken on the line Z Z of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a view in elevation of the shoe and cushion. Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-section in perspective, showing in detail the flange, grooves,and recesses for the toe-clip and the cushion, also a vertical cross-section of the cushion and toeclip ready to be placed in the shoe.

In the drawings, A refers to a horseshoeframe preferably made of metal and provided with downwardly-projecting flanges A A on its outer and inner edges, extending from the toe or front of the shoe to the rear edge of the heel and having the open spacesa a at the heels or rear ends of the shoe, the flange forming a curved groove or recess B, into which a detachable elastic cushion is designed to be placed.

a a are apertures or nail-holes formed in recess f in the shoe, through which nails are designed to be driven for securing the same to the horses foot.

C is a detachable elastic cushion made of india-rubber or other resilient material, and is purposed to be securely held in the groove or recess B, projecting some distance below the edge of the flanges.

D is a toe-clip, made of metal or other durable material, riveted or otherwise to the front face of the toe of the cushion.

A shoe of this character must of necessity be protected from the continued pound of the toe on the street, and to overcome and protect the breaking away of the front of the cushion and make it durable I have provided the toe-clip D.

a is a recess provided in the toe of the shoe, enabling the clip to be seated securely therein.

E is a screw or bolt for securely holding the cushion and clip in their respective places.

e e are slots formed in the cushion and tooclip, through which the screw or bolt is inserted, and a nut screwed on the inner end thereof for holding the cushion in place. The slot in the toe-clip and shoe, together with the recess 6 in the front of the shoe under the cushion, gives plenty of freedom for the pressure incident to the tread, while at the same time being securely held in position by the screw or bolt.

0 c are laterally-projecting lugs on the rear of the shoe and near the heels and are purposed to be seated in recesses a a formed in the flanges A A, the lugs being made shorter than the depth of the recess to allow for the same pressure at the heels as that provided by the recess 6 at the front of the shoe.

A A are clips formed by the formation of the flanges and are purposed to securely hold in place the rear ends of the cushion. To provide against any possible danger of the cushion slipping from between the flanges at this point, I have shown a modified form of securing device for the heel, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

By leaving the rear or heel ends open, as above described, it enables me to fit a shoe to any size of horses foot, the shoes and elastic cushion being made of sufficient length to permit a portion of the heel being cut away in case of extra length. The figure shown illustrates a shoe of correct size.

In providing a yielding material on the bottom of a shoe, as above described, it will be seen that the wear on the metal shoe is reduced to a minimum and is a great savingin expense of buying new shoes.

This horseshoe is very easy and comfortable to the horse and is likewise very helpful, because of the spring given by the resilient material. The cushion is very easily detached from the shoe and is purposed to be detached therefrom and a new cushion replaced when the cushion is worn away to the edge of the flanges by simply removing the bolt and spreading the clips at the heels or withdrawing the rivets. To replace a new cushion in the metal frame, the manner of securing is the same as above stated.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a horseshoe, havin g downwardly-projecting flanges forming a continuous groove in the bottom of the shoe and open at the heels thereof, of a detachable elastic cushion seated in said groove and suitably secured therein, of means for engaging and protecting the forward end of the cushion consisting of a toe-clip extending around a portion of the cushion and suitably secured thereto, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination with a horseshoe, having downwardly-projecting flanges extending around the inner and outer edges of the shoe from the toe to the heel or rear ends thereof,

a groove formed by the flanges, of a detaclr able elastic cushion seated in said groove, means for retaining the same in the shoe by engagement at the toe and heels thereof, a toe-clip suitably secured to the toe of the cushion and extending a portion of the way around the same, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. Ahorseshoe having downwardly-extending flanges, forming a groove or recess in the bottom of the shoe, of a detachable elastic cushion held firmly therein, and a toe-clip secured to the toe or front end of the cushion, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a horseshoe consisting of a metal frame, provided with downwardly-projecting flanges extending around the inner and outer edges of the shoe from the toe to the heels thereof, and forming a continuous groove therein, of a detachable elastic cushion seated in said groove, a detachable bolt or clip for engaging the cushion at the forward end of the cushion, of laterally-extending lugs on the rear ends of the cushion, and suitable slots or recesses in the flanges adapted for receiving said lugs to hold the same against forward or backward movement in the shoe thereof, all substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

5. A horseshoe having downwardly-extending flanges, a groove formed in the bottom of the shoe, and a detachable elastic cushion seated therein, means for securing the same at the front or toe thereof, and means for en- 1 gaging the same at the heels thereof, consisting of suitable lugs provided on the sides of the cushion adapted to be seated in slots or recesses in the flanges of the shoe, preventing forward or rearward motion of the cushion in the shoe, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination with a metal shoe provided with apertures or nail-holes,and formed with downwardly-extended flanges around the outer and inner edges and provided with slots or recesses at the rear ends thereof, a groove or recess formed by the flanges around the shoe, of a detachable elastic cushion ex tending from one heel to the other and securely held in the groove by means of a detachable clip or bolt at the front or toe thereof, and against forward or backward motion at the rear ends by means of laterally-extending lugs adapted to be seated in the slots provided in the flanges of the shoe, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. The combination with a horseshoe having downwardly-projecting flanges around the inner and outer edges of the shoe from the toe to the heels, and provided with an aperture at the forward end and slots or recesses at the rear ends thereof, a groove formed by the flanges, of a detachable elastic cushion seated in said groove and extending somewhat below the edge of the flanges, a detachable clip or bolt passing through the therein, and of suitable lugs at the rear end of the cushion adapted to fit in suitable slots or recesses for securing the same at the heels thereof, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. The combination with a horseshoe, having downwardly-projecting flanges extending around the inner and outer edges of the shoe and open at the rear ends thereof,of a groove formed by the flanges, an elastic cushion detachably secured in said groove and a portion of the same extending somewhat below the flanges, of a toe-clip secured to the toe or front of the cushion, the cushion firmly secured in the groove of the shoe through and by means of the bolt at the front and by the clips formed by the flanges at the heels or rear ends, all substantially as described and shown.

9. In a horseshoe provided with a detachable elastic cushion, the combination with the elastic cushion, of a toe-clip made of suitable material, all substantially as and for the purpose described.

.In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE GREENWOOD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. W. LA PORTE, W. V. TEFFT. 

